Corporate lobbyists eye new lawsuits after Supreme Court limits federal power
ECONOMIC POLICY
Corporate lobbyists eye new lawsuits after Supreme Court limits federal power
Powerful opponents of federal regulation in climate, finance, health, labor and technology are already planning how to use the ruling for their advantage.
By Tony Romm
June 30, 2024 at 6:05 a.m. EDT
Mere hours after the Supreme Court sharply curbed the power of federal agencies, conservatives and corporate lobbyists began plotting how to harness the favorable ruling in a redoubled quest to whittle down climate, finance, health, labor and technology regulations in Washington.
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The early strategizing underscored the magnitude of the justices landmark decision, which rattled the nations capital and now appears poised to touch off years of lawsuits that could redefine the U.S. governments role in modern American life.
The legal bombshell arrived Friday, when the six conservatives on the Supreme Court invalidated a decades-old legal precedent that federal judges should defer to regulatory agencies in cases where the law is ambiguous or Congress fails to specify its intentions. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. described the framework as unworkable, at one point arguing in his opinion that it prevents judges from judging.
Many conservatives and businesses long had chafed over the legal doctrine, known as
Chevron deference after a case involving the oil giant in the 1980s. They had encouraged the Supreme Court over the past year to dismantle the precedent in a flood of legal filings, then rejoiced when the nations highest judicial panel sided with them this week paving the way for industry to commence a renewed assault against the power and reach of the executive branch.
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By Tony Romm
Tony Romm is the economic policy and accountability reporter at The Washington Post. Twitter
https://x.com/tonyromm